McGill awarded $1 million grant to address debilitating parasitic diseases in the developing world

News

Published: 24Jan2011

McGill Awarded $1-Million Grant to Address Debilitating Parasitic Diseases in the Developing World, offering a Canadian solution to a Pressing Global Health Challenge

McGill University and McGill University scientist Dr. Timothy
Geary received a $1-million grant today for landmark research into
addressing parasitic diseases through medicines derived from
African biodiversity. Grand Challenges Canada, Canada’s
International Development Research Centre, The Canadian Institutes
of Health Research and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have
joined together to support this important research which provides a
significant Canadian contribution to a serious global health
issue.

More than 1 billion people, or one-sixth of the world’s
population, suffer from Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which
cause disfigurement, disability and even death in the developing
world. Dr. Geary’s research focuses on parasitic worms, or
helminths, which live inside the body. Diseases such as
hookworm, river blindness and elephantiasis cause stunted growth
and cognitive impairment in children, horrific debilitating and
disfiguring symptoms in adults, and make escaping the cycle of
poverty virtually impossible.

“While there have been advances in the past few years in
providing drugs to control the disease, there is so much more that
can be done to eliminate NTDs and bring hope to many for a better
future,” said Dr. Geary, Director of the Institute of
Parasitology at McGill. “The drugs we plan to develop through this
research will combat growing resistance to existing therapies, an
important next step in the treatment and control of parasitic
disease.“

Dr. Geary’s breakthrough research, conducted in partnership with
Dr. Eliane Ubalijoro of the Institute for the Study of
International Development at McGill, focuses on identifying
compounds from African botanical and microbial sources that can
lead to new drugs to eliminate parasitic worms from the body. In
this approach, he works in partnership with African scientists,
particularly Dr. Kelly Chibale of the University of Cape Town, and
Drs. Berhanu Abegaz and Kerstin Marobela of the University of
Botswana, believing that partners from disease-endemic
countries are critically important for finding new solutions
to these infections. This team will conduct research both at McGill
and in Africa.

“This is about Canadians helping Africans help themselves; an
effective and long-term approach to the challenges developing
countries face,” said Dr. Peter A Singer, CEO of Grand Challenges
Canada. “This is a milestone celebration for Grand Challenges
Canada. We are less than a year old and I am proud to say
this is our first grant announcement. For us, this is like
fireworks lighting up the sky on Canada Day.”

“We’re delighted that this first grant from Grand Challenges
Canada supports a partnership between researchers in Canada and
researchers in Africa, one devoted to drawing on both Canadian and
African ingenuity to solve a persistent and debilitating health
problem in Africa” said David Malone, President of Canada’s
International Development Research Centre. “

The $1-million award is collaboration among three funders:
$500,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; $250,000
from Grand Challenges Canada through the Canadian government’s
Capital Development Innovation Fund; and $250,000 from the
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

“We believe in the quality of Dr. Geary’s research and the
potential for a significant Canadian contribution to addressing
these debilitating diseases which plague so many in the developing
world,” said Dr. Pierre Chartrand, Vice-President Research,
Canadian Institutes of Health Research. “We have to do more than
just share information across traditional political and national
lines: we have to invest in the development of local response and
research capacity.”

Over the past five years, the world has made tremendous progress
in addressing some of the greatest global health issues,” said Dr.
Steven Buchsbaum, Deputy Director of Discovery, Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation. “Partnerships are increasingly critical and we
look forward to working with Grand Challenges Canada as we engage
the best minds to harness advances in science and technology and
save lives. We hope Canada’s important commitment inspires others
to take action.”“

“We are most appreciative of this funding and the opportunity it
creates for Drs. Geary and Ubalijoro and McGill to make a
significant Canadian contribution to addressing these serious
global health challenges,” said Dr. Rose Goldstein, Vice-Principal
(Research and International Relations) at McGill. “All Canadians
should be proud of the contribution this county is making on the
international stage to address these sometimes fatal ailments –
diseases and conditions which those of us who live in the developed
world often forget are very real and terrifying risks for large
numbers of people.”

About Grand Challenges Canada

Grand Challenges Canada is a unique and independent
not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and
well-being of people in developing countries by integrating
scientific, technological, business and social innovation. Grand
Challenges Canada works with the International Development Research
Centre (IDRC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
and other global health foundations and organizations to find
sustainable long-term solutions to the most pressing health
challenges. Grand Challenges Canada is hosted at the
McLaughlin-Rotman Centre for Global Health.

Founded in Montreal, Que., in 1821, is Canada’s leading
post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 10
professional schools, 300 programs of study and more than 35,000
students. McGill attracts students from about 150 countries around
the world. Almost half of McGill students claim a first language
other than English – including 6,200 francophones – with more than
6,800 international students making up almost 20 per cent of the
student body.

For the past 10 years, the Canadian Institutes of Health
Research (CIHR) has supported better health and healthcare for
Canadians. As the Government of Canada’s health research investment
agency, CIHR enables the creation of evidence-based knowledge and
its transformation into improved treatments, prevention and
diagnoses, new products and services, and a stronger,
patient-oriented healthcare system. Composed of 13
internationally-recognized institutes, CIHR supports more than
13,600 health researchers and trainees across Canada.

About IDRC

To achieve self-reliance, poor communities need answers to
questions like: How can we grow more and healthier food? Protect
our health? Create jobs? IDRC supports research in developing
countries to answer these questions. IDRC also encourages sharing
this knowledge with policymakers, other researchers, and
communities around the world. The result is innovative, lasting
local solutions that aim to bring choice and change to those who
need it most.